The Clothing Room can be as popular as our meal. This busy place in full
of donated clothing for almost all sizes and ages. Our donors appreciate that
the clothing is offered free, and each client is allowed three outfits during
a visit. This service is keeping children warm in the winter and allowing
for many successful job interviews. The monthly average for clothing items
provided is 1,826. Also popular is the much-needed toiletry items such as
toothpaste and bar soap, but often the inventory is quite low.
If you just visit us during our meal serving time, you get a clear picture
of the heart and soul of our mission. The ‘behind the scenes’
activities are directed at supporting the mission. The cleaning schedule is
constant; hundreds of chairs are placed on the tables every day to allow for
daily floor scrubbing, tables are scrubbed clean, and the kitchen, freezer
and coolers have daily cleanings. Each day the agency van ventures out to
both our regularly scheduled food donors and for special pick-ups. Staff attend
numerous meetings called by our funders or community partners as we learn
more about collaboration and resources. Staff are always working on a proposal
to a foundation, and each day we open the mail, and hope that we can send
out many thank you notes to individual donors. We also hope that we can pay
the rent, buy the coffee, and meet payroll. Staff work on the volunteer schedule,
and make appointments with many outside groups like college students who want
to use our mission for class projects. Much time is devoted to keeping meticulous
records of the agency’s finances, and working with the Board of Directors
to meet all aspects of governance required of a charitable agency.
No day is quite like another, but each day brings the reality of hunger. We
hope this picture of a day at our Kitchen has helped you feel closer to our
mission, and has given you pride that you support a vital service to so many
of our neighbors. Please share this newsletter with someone who may want to
join us! The fight against hunger desperately needs more troops! Your donation
of money, time and supplies make all these services possible. Thank
You
